What is the Super Bowl?

Considered the pinnacle of achievement in American gridiron football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The Super Bowl is always held on a Sunday, hence the term Super Bowl Sunday, and played every year at the end of the football season in January or February. It holds the largest viewership for any annual sporting event in the United States, and the second-largest viewership worldwide.

What is the Super Bowl?

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Two professional football teams compete for the chance of winning the Super Bowl. At the beginning of the game, a coin is flipped to determine which of the two teams wins control of the ball. The team with control then has to run, dodge, push through, or kick the ball past the defending team to score points on the opposite side of the field, known as the end zone. The other team has to defend their end zone or gain control of the ball to score points of their own as they try to push back. They can score 6 points for a touchdown, 3 points for a field goal, 2 points for a safety, and either 1 or 2 points for a try after a touchdown.

Games are split into fifteen-minute quarters and timed for an hour of play, but because of the frequent time-outs, breaks, clock stops, and halftime, NFL games typically last over three hours. The winning team is the one with the most points at the end of the game.

The NFL teams that can compete in the Super Bowl are the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, and the Houston Texans.

Super Bowl History

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The term 'Super Bowl' replaced the title NFL Championship Game when a merger began with its rival, the AFL (American Football League). There were plenty of 'bowl games' before that, starting with the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and branching out into the Orange Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Sugar Bowl, in 1902. Eventually, the term 'bowl' was commonly used to mean any major football game. It was jokingly named by the Kansas City Chiefs' owner Lamar Hunt, whose children were playing with a Super Ball toy at the time. Other names like the 'AFL-NFL Championship Game', 'The Game', and 'Merger Bowl' were considered, but when the newspapers caught wind of the 'Super Bowl', the nickname stuck.

The first-ever Super Bowl was played on January 15, 1967, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in California, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The halftime show consisted of two marching bands, a choir, and some balloons, and at the final whistle, the Green Bay Packers clinched victory, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. The original game was so low-key that producers didn’t want to waste expensive videotape and recorded over the original game. As a result, there is no original footage of the first Super Bowl!

The first Super Bowl is known as Super Bowl I, not Super Bowl 1967. The NFL uses Roman numerals to name each of their Super Bowl games instead of years. This is because the football season starts in a different year to the year the Super Bowl is played, so naming them after Roman numerals is less confusing.

The team that wins the Super Bowl is awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy. This sterling silver trophy is named after the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowls. It measures just over 20 inches tall, weighs nearly 7lbs, and is valued at $25,000. The trophy is engraved with the name of the winning team and is passed on to the next winners the following year. Each player on the winning team is also given a smaller replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and each competitor is given a rare Super Bowl ring decorated with their team insignia.

To date, the Pittsburgh Steelers is the most successful Super Bowl team, winning six games and losing two. The New England Patriots have appeared in the most Super Bowls with eleven appearances, six of which they won. Twelve teams still have not won the Super Bowl. In addition, the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans have never qualified for the Super Bowl.

Football Terminology

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• Coin Toss – when a coin is flipped at the beginning of a game to determine which team gains control of the ball.
• Pigskin – nickname for an American football, named so because it was originally made from a pig’s bladder.
• Snap – when the ball is tossed (or hiked) between the player’s legs backward, beginning the play.
• Fumble – losing possession of the ball by dropping it or being tackled.
• Punt – when a player drops the ball onto their foot and kicks it.
• Touchdown – when the ball reaches the opponent’s end zone. This score is worth 6 points.
• Field goal – when the ball is kicked over the crossbar and between the goalposts of the defending team. This score is worth 3 points.
• Try – an extra point scored after touchdown. This score is worth 1 or 2 points.
• Offense – the team in control of the ball that is trying to score points. The offense consists of the Quarterback (QB), Running Back (RB), Fullback (FB), Offensive Line (Left Tackle, Left Guard, Center, Right Guard, Right Tackle), Wide Receiver (WR), and Tight End (TE).
• Defense – the team trying to stop the offense from scoring any points. The defense consists of the Defensive Line (Defensive Tackle, Defensive End), Linebacker (LB), Cornerback (CB), and Safety (Strong Safety, Free Safety).

Super Bowl Traditions

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For many football fans, the Super Bowl marks a time to get together with friends or family to enjoy the game. Many choose to stay at home to watch the game on TV or hold Super Bowl viewing parties. Some choose to follow their team and tailgate, setting up barbeques and cooking food from the trunks of their cars outside the stadium. It is a popular, more family-friendly tradition, with fans of both opposing teams often merging to enjoy the food and atmosphere. You can even organize your own in-class tailgate using our Super Bowl Tailgate Classroom Recipes!

Eating is a huge event in itself during the Super Bowl! On average, Americans will spend $15.5 billion overall on food during or related to the Super Bowl. This makes it the second-biggest day for food consumption in the U.S.A.next to Thanksgiving! Some examples of the food eaten on game day include chips and dip, chicken wings, pizza, and chili. The National Chicken Council approximates that Americans eat 1.25 billion individual chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone!

The Super Bowl halftime show has evolved sharply from the original marching bands and choirs. Nowadays, entertaining the fans while the players take a rest during halftime is a multimillion-dollar tradition. Although the performers themselves are not paid an appearance fee, the NFL will pay millions of dollars to cover production. Past Super Bowl halftime shows have featured famous performers like Ella Fitzgerald, New Kids on the Block, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga.

Notable Figures

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Joe Greene

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Joe Greene (b. 1946) is a former defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed ‘Mean Joe’ Greene for his fierce play style, he earned four Super Bowl championships before going on to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers honored him by retiring his number 75 jersey so no future players may wear it.

Joe Montana

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Joe Montana (b. 1956) is a former quarterback for the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs throughout his 16-season career. He is a four-time Super Bowl champion and retired in 1994. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Tom Brady

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Tom Brady (b. 1977) is a former quarterback for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time, he holds almost every major quarterback record and is a seven-time Super Bowl champion. He played in the NFL for 22 seasons in total.

Do your kids have a favorite player or team? Challenge them to convince others to root for them using our Super Bowl Persuasive Writing activity!

Fun Facts

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Here are some fun and unusual facts about the Super Bowl to share with your class:

• The only worldwide sporting event to beat the Super Bowl’s viewership is the UEFA Champions League final; a European soccer game.
• Nine out of ten of the most popular television events in American history were Super Bowl games – the one exception being the series finale of the TV show M*A*S*H.
• The coin toss is an honor usually given to former football players or other notable figures.
• In 1967, an average ticket to the Super Bowl cost just $10. Nowadays, the same ticket would cost $5,000!
• Not everyone watches the Super Bowl. Since so many football fans pile into venues or stay home to watch the game, those who aren’t into football often take advantage of the lack of crowds and go shopping as a Super Bowl Sunday tradition.
• Super Bowl commercials have also become a huge (and expensive) attraction. In 1967, a commercial for the Super Bowl cost $40,000. In 2015, the same amount of airtime had inflated to $5 million.
• As massive an event as the Super Bowl is, 1 in 10 people still prefer to watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet instead! If your kids are some of them (or if they just love puppies!) try out our Puppy Bowl Activity Pack to keep them entertained in the run-up to Super Bowl Sunday.

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